plaquette, relief, bust of a child

Oval plaquette depicting a child's bust.
France or Netherlands, 17th century

Bronze
Height: 6.5 cm
With suspension hoop: 7.2 cm
Width: 5.1 cm
Thickness: 1.3 cm

The child turns his head to the left, slightly tilting it. His gaze seems to be captured by something outside. Large natural curls draw an abundant and lively hairstyle. The baby-like face has delicate modeling. His expression is gentle, slightly melancholic.

The sculptural qualities of this small high-relief designate it as an independant work of art. The finesse of the design, the sharpness of the casting, the finely striated field to capture the light, all testify to a care characteristic of an original work.

This sculpture is unpublished. We believe that it falls within the line of research of the great Flemish artist François Duquesnoy (1597-1643), famous notably for his lively representations of putti. However, it seems to us that this work possesses more measure in expression. Also, the treatment of flesh and hair is less controlled than in Duquesnoy's work. Should we see this as the mark of a more French classicism? In any case, the spirit of moderation present in this sculpture seems quite distant from Italian baroque animation.

The suspension hoop indicates that this small bas-relief was appreciated autonomously and vertically. Designed for the pure artistic delight of its commissioner, no doubt this small sculpture was intended to take its place within the cabinet of an art enthusiast.